Butterfly Ice Cream Cake Goodness

How to make an Ice Cream Cake

(special thanks to Laura Oler for teaching me this cake/ice cream method)

Ingredients:
1- "2 layer" cake mix- any normal sized box mix will do. We used Funfetti.
1- 2 qt container of ice cream- we used strawberry
1- large (16 oz) tub of cool whip. I used a little over half, so just an 8 oz one might not be enough.
Purple food coloring- and any candies you might use to decorate.
Butterfly cake pan, or shape of your choice. (Bought mine at michael's with 40% off coupon)
A cake leveler, or large serrated knife

Estimated cost for just the food- $7-$10.

1 day before the party, or super early in the morning if you're party is at night:
So here's what you do- prep the pan. Slather it with shortening, dust with flour, let no crack or molding be shiny.

Get out your mixer. Here's mine, named Natalie.

Make the cake mix as usual, pour into your pan, bake for time as outlined on the little booklet that comes with your pan. Or as usual for a round cake pan.



Let cool for 10 minutes in pan. Take a knife or cake leveler and trim the hump or uneven parts of the cake, so when it's flipped over, it's on a level surface. Put a plate over the back of the pan, flip it over, slide it onto the cooling rack.

Let cool for the next hour or so. Put your ice cream in the fridge to soften. Check it periodically to see how it's doing. When it's good and soft, do the next step.

(Side note, if you forget to put it in the fridge ahead of time, you can do like me and microwave it, but you'll end up with ice cream still slightly frozen in the middle, and soupy ice cream. You'll have to mix it together, it won't be pretty. Just think ahead a little.)



Then you wash out the pan, stick plastic wrap all over the inside.

Slice the cake in half, as shown above. Use a cake leveler (which makes it really easy) or a knife carefully. The tricky part is once it's cut, to put the pan over the cake, and flip it. Now there's two sides in the pan. I then put the rack back over it, stood it up vertical, and slowing seperated the pan and rack, pushing on each side so the top is in the pan and the bottom is on the rack. Good luck. A husband or friend might be helpful at this part.

Here comes the fun part


Slather the ice cream all over the cake. I used all 2 quarts. It gave a good inch or so layer of ice cream in the center. Flip the rack with the cake bottom onto the pan.

Cover with saran wrap and foil. Keep in the freezer for a minimum of 4 hours to freeze the ice cream, and I'm not sure the maximum. Place your cool whip in your fridge if it's not there already.

So that afternoon, or the next day or the day before the party or right before you serve...

Cover a baking sheet with foil if you're eating the cake another time. OR put small pieces of foil around the serving platter if you're serving right then.

Flip the cake onto the pan/platter. Peel off the plastic wrap. Cover it with cool whip, like the first picture here.



Take a small amount of cool whip (I used about 1 1/2 cups) and tint the color of your choice, put it in a plastic baggie, cut off the corner, and decorate as you'd like. Remember cool whip is thick, so I used a large opening and not a whole lot of detail, like rosettes or any of that fancy pants stuff.




If you're serving the cake in more than 10 minutes, stick plastic wrap and foil over the cake and freeze until serving. If you're eating immediately, pull out the foil and cut. Enjoy!

Variations:

• Use vanilla ice cream instead of cool whip (that's reportedly what baskin robbins does)
• The cake/ice cream combinations are endless- mint ice cream with chocolate cake, chocolate and strawberry, etc.
• Add crumbled up cookies or graham crackers under or over the ice cream layer.
• Cupcakes- Coldstone makes these cupcakes that are similar concept yet delicious.

Enjoy your cake! It's worth the effort!